Is that a TM quote then? We have two players who I assume each cost us more than the entire Charlton squad? If you can buy an entire squad of players for less that are better quality than our entire squad, something went wrong here. The comment I'd expect would be more like 'hopefully our extra quality will be enough to see off their momentum'. Presumably just being excessively modest... (or I've misunderstood who you're quoting)

Brereton: "Tossin'? Nah no need to sign him, I've got that in hand."

Have you heard any nuggets of information about transfer dealings lately?

How can he troll the manager here? Unless I'm mistaken, the manager isn't a poster on these boards.

League One and Two teams have until 31st August to complete loans. We have until 5pm next Thursday.

I'm not going to pretend he can defend just to be respectful. Charlie has an absolute wand of a left foot. I don't think I've watched a Rovers player with better set pieces, probably even Bentley (hard to say though because Bentley was doing it in the Prem). His goal contribution is exceptional, a centre half has no right to score anything like that number, and he was so crucial to us in the League One season. He wasn't defending particularly well then either, but with the type of team we were relative to opponents, it didn't stand out as much or cause as many problems, and was easily outstripped by his goals. For this league though, he is too slow, with poor positional sense, stands off too much, and we are suffering from playing him even when he launches those beauties into the net, as the stats back up. It's not disrespectful to say this, it's just reality.

You can drastically improve your game at 22. A lot of players have done so. You can drastically improve your game a fair bit later. It might not be what usually happens (although a typical footballer peaks at 26ish) but it absolutely can happen. Especially when you're only just getting first team football. Anyway I wasn't talking about drastically improving it, just improving it. I wasn't talking about particularly 'high up the pyamid', just one league above where he is now going, and a level he has notched a few goals with very limited game time.

Great signing for them, good career move for him. I fear we might be the ones who this doesn't work out great for. I hope we have received at least 500k for him, as I think that's his market value, and that we've included a significant sell-on (30% or more). I think a loan would have been best for us, as I think he'll bang a lot of goals in for Blackpool if played every week, and his value will double by the end of the season. He reminds me of a shitter, League One level Rhodes. Good knack for goals but limited all-round game. But with his size, and still being 22, I think he still has some potential for improving his all-round game. Not ready to start in our first team by any stretch, and a lot of competition now to even make the bench, but capable of tearing up League One and potentially becoming a steady Championship striker. With Grayson managing them, that could only be a season away. Like I say, I hope we've protected our investment with a hefty sell-on.

Well it's not end of, is it. We don't lose every single game we play with him, and we're about to face one of the worst sides in the league at home. He's a gash defender though, and even with his goals our stats with him in the team make depressing reading. But we're not dead certs to lose with him in. Sure hope he's not starting by the time we play Fulham though, or they'll be licking their lips.

It feels like whoever comes down as favourites to go back up by storming the league almost invariably fail to even make the playoffs. Purely an anecdotal recollection thing, be interesting to see if there are stats on it. Certainly happened to us, and last season to Stoke.

Wasn't the point he was making, he was saying we don't have pace there. We have it more than we have any other attribute in any other area of the squad. We don't look like we intend to play a crossing game anyway.

It's irrelevant whether they are wingers. They play on our flanks. We are not short of pace on our flanks, not even remotely. If we want traditional wingers instead, we are going to have a heck of a lot of talent rotting on the bench.

When I looked over the transfer dealings in the Championship last week - and I think I only got as far as Millwall - I noticed three very young (21ish) CBs had changed hands for prices ranging from I think it was 6 million to 12 million. No idea what any of them did to earn those values either. Market is batshit.

I find it a bit curious that our targets for CB range from 'oh my god' expensive to Bormuth, a barely-present in his team whose contract is running down and doesn't sound any great shakes. Still, I don't care as long as whoever we do get is the right player.

Thanks for your info, but, do you honestly believe that? Between Armstrong, Rothwell, Chapman, Gallagher and Brereton I'd wager we have the fastest set of options for the flanks in the entire league!! Definitely the fastest for us since we got relegated.

I'm still astonished that a winger is even a potential part of our business this summer at this stage.

I figured, but he was misreading the person he was quoting, who was referring to Buckley and comparing him to Duff.

I feel like I remember being told the same. The principle of how we operated definitely was. As CB I had to cover many a full back's gallavanting runs...it's why to this day I can't stand FBs who are happy to go on a foray but don't track back with half the enthusiasm. Can end up making the CB look like a tit as he tries to handle two players.

You know, sometimes I wonder if Tony is...

Have they? Beat us 1-0 last time we played... Promoted teams, especially the playoff winners, frequently spring a shock. Don't get too complacent. I get why you expect a comfortable win on paper though.

Have we sold Buckley and I've missed it? Odd comment.

Surely the files would be property of the club? Most contracts I've signed for far more basic jobs have had some clause about the work I produce belonging to the company.

A look at last season's competition also shows a certain Sam Gallagher notched a winning goal in it for Southampton in the first group stage game. Against eventual finalists Dinamo Zagreb.

Don't make things up. It wasn't buttons at the time. Hendry was 700k, Le Saux 700k, Berg 400k, Pearce 300k. Kenna was later but cost 1.5 million. These are the days when Shearer was the British record at 3.3 million. These were the going rates for good defenders. Moreover, every single one of those players is equal or higher to the total fees Venkys have spent on our defence during TM's reign. Over 20 years later!! We now sign strikers for double the Shearer fee. Hell I'd take a defender for buttons if he was good enough. Right now we haven't signed any this summer after having one of the worst defences in the Championship and letting two backup CBs leave. What are you missing here?

I'm astonished any fan could say that about our defensive players. How did it escape your notice the sheer amount of rookie mistakes our defenders made for the goals we shipped? They can't all be down to not getting enough commands from the keeper. Defenders are supposed to know how to defend on their own a lot better than that. They also need to communicate too, not just the goalie. Mulgrew in particular was a goddamned liability when he wasn't taking a set piece. You could put the best keeper in the world behind him, he's still going to have awful positional sense and barely ever stick a foot in.